Baylor University announced the recipients of the 2025 Baylor Alumni Awards, which honor individuals who embody the distinctive mission of the University and their remarkable achievements. A celebration honoring this year’s recipients will be held on campus on Oct. 30, 2025.
“Each year, when we select the remarkable men and women who will be honored as Baylor Alumni awardees, they remind us that the mission of Baylor University – to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service – remains at the heart of who we are as a Christian research university,” President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., said. “Our alumni live out the University’s mission every day as they transform their communities and professions on local and global scales with their selfless service, humble leadership and steadfast faith. We look forward to celebrating this distinguished group of 2025 Baylor Alumni Award recipients during our Homecoming festivities and telling their stories of impact and contributions to Baylor and society.”
This year’s Baylor Alumni Awards recipients are:
Baylor University Alumnus of the Year
Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy Jr. (United States Space Force)
The Alumnus of the Year honor is awarded to a graduate who has achieved distinction through exceptional contributions to our international, national, state or community welfare. This year’s Baylor Alumnus of the Year is Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy Jr., B.S.E. ’93, M.S.C.S. ’95, of Arlington, Virginia, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, Washington, D.C.
Purdy entered the Air Force as a Distinguished Graduate of Baylor’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in 1993. Since then, he has served with distinction in a variety of engineering, acquisition and policy capacities, including assignments at the Air Force Laboratory, Pentagon, Congress, Space and Missile Systems Center and Headquarters United States Space Force.
As Military Deputy, Purdy is responsible for research and development worth more than $24 billion annually, which aligns with his dedication to ensuring the next generation of Air and Space Force officers are ready to face the challenges of military service in today’s world. In addition to crafting program strategies and options for representing Department of the Air Force positions to the office of the Secretary of Defense, Congress and the White House, Purdy is actively involved in mentoring future officers, including serving as an Air/Space Force mentor to Baylor University and Air Force ROTC Detachment 810. He also serves as the Space Force University Partnership Program Champion for the University of Texas at Austin.
Baylor University Young Alumna of the Year
Elizabeth “BB” Sanford (Sanford Firm)
The Young Alumna of the Year honor is awarded to a graduate under age 40 who has achieved distinction through exceptional contributions to our international, national, state or community welfare. This year’s Baylor Young Alumna of the Year is Elizabeth “BB” Sanford, B.A. ’11, M.Div./J.D. ’17, of Dallas, a trial lawyer in employment-related legal matters with the Dallas-based Sanford Firm.
After earning her undergraduate degree in international studies, Sanford became the first person to earn Baylor’s M.Div./J.D. in 2017, a dual degree through George W. Truett Theological Seminary and Baylor Law School. Since her graduation, Sanford has become a fierce trial lawyer and advocate for her clients, fulfilling a calling to represent workers who are wrongfully terminated and protecting individual civil rights.
Sanford has been recognized by the profession as an outstanding lawyer, including D Magazine’s Best Lawyers Under 40, a Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers and The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40. She serves the legal profession broadly, including as the current President of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL), a trustee of the DAYL Foundation and on the Board of the Dallas Bar Association. She also serves in the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), the Texas Employment Lawyers Association (TELA) and is a newly elected council member of the State Bar of Texas Labor & Employment Section, among other organizations. She continues to return to Baylor as a guest speaker and mentor for students.
Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service
Dr. Joel C. Gregory (Baylor University)
The Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service is awarded to individuals whose broad contributions to Christian ministry have made an immeasurable impact. This year’s Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service is awarded to Joel C. Gregory, B.A. ’70, Ph.D. ’83, Emeritus Professor of Preaching at George W. Truett Theological Seminary and president of Joel Gregory Ministries.
In addition to his Baylor degrees, Gregory holds an M.Th. from Oxford University and an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He taught preaching at Truett Seminary for 20 years, was the initial holder of The George W. Truett Chair of Preaching and served as director of the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching for six years. He served four student pastorates as well as pastorates at Travis Avenue Baptist, Fort Worth, and First Baptist, Dallas.
Among his many honors, Gregory was named one of the “Twelve Most Effective Preachers in the English Language” by more than 500 professors of preaching in 2018 and was named an Outstanding Professor at Baylor in 2019. The E.K. Bailey International Conference named him a “Living Legend,” and Truett Seminary will inaugurate the annual “Joel C. Gregory Preaching Lectures” in 2025. He served two terms as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas that honored him in 2024 with an award for 50 years of service to Texas Baptists.
Pro Texana Medal of Service
Judge Ed Kinkeade (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)
The Pro Texana Medal of Service recognizes an individual or individuals whose contributions in furthering the mission of Baylor have made an immeasurable impact in the public or nonprofit sector. This year’s Pro Texana Medal of Service is awarded to the Honorable Ed Kinkeade, B.A. ’74, J.D. ’74, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas.
After graduation, Kinkeade began his career in private practice, leaving after seven years when he was elected judge of County Criminal Court No. 10 in Dallas. Eight months later, he was appointed judge of the 194th Judicial District Court. After only seven years on the district bench, he was appointed to the Court of Appeals, Fifth District. In 2002, Kinkeade was appointed to the federal bench as District Judge by President George W. Bush.
In addition to his legal career, Kinkeade is committed to his community and the development of future lawyers, having served on the Baylor Medical Center at Irving board of trustees, the Dallas Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Alcoholism and many other boards. He currently serves as a trustee with Baylor Scott & White Health and as a national board member of Canine Companions, an organization that trains service and assistance dogs. He serves as Jurist in Residence at Baylor Law School, where he also teaches a course on professional responsibility for third-year law students.
Original source can be found here.